Gas-producer.



N. LATTA.

GAS PRODUCER.

APPLICATION mco MAYIG. 1910.

1,142,524. Patented J un s, 1915.

W|TNESEs- INVEN'TtlR- M a/ /t& I

. V ATTORNEY- UNITED sra'rss PATENT OFFICE.

NISBET LATTA, 0F MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

ALLIS-CHALMERS MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. I

GAS-PRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 8, 1915.

Application filed May 16, 1910. Serial No. 561,655.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Nrsnnr LA'r'rA, a citizen of the Unit-ed States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsimhave invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Gas-Producers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in the construction of gas producers, and particularly to improvements in the construction of producers in which crude, petroleum or other liquid hydrocarbon is utilized as a gas generating medium.

An object of the invention is to provide. a gas producer utilizing a liquid hydrocarbon generating fuel, which is simple in its construction and eliicient in operation.

A further object of the .invention is to provide a gas producer which can be directly connected to the suction of a gas engine or other gas utilizing apparatus, without necessitating the use of intermediate storage tanks or similar means to insure a uniform supply of gas.

A clear conception'of one embodiment of the invention can be obtained by referring to the accompanying drawing in which like reference characters designatethe same or similar parts in like or different views.

F igurel is a central vertical section of an oil gas producer built in accordance with the invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal, transverse section of the device shown in Fig. 1, the section being taken along the line IIII of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow. -Fig. .3 is a horizontal,v transverse section of the device shown in Fig. 1, the sectign being taken along the line III-J11 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrow.

The gas producer consists essentially of a cylindrical brick shell 11 having vaporizing plates or inclined walls 1, 4, supported therein. The upper end of the shell 11 is provided with'an inclosing head formed of an incombustible material such as fire brick. The manhole 9 is formed in the center of the inclosing head and is provided with a cover non-combustible material would be sulfic ently effective. The water seal 15 'is provided with a filling passage through which -the water supply in the seal chamber can be re lenished.

he inclined vaporizing wall 1 is lined with a suitable non-combustible material and extends downwardly and inwardly from a point near the top of and adjacent the shell 11 to about the center of the shell 11. The chamber 2 is formed in the upper portion of the shell 11 adjacent the inclined wall 1. As shown, the surface of the inclined wall 1 which is exposed to the chamber. 2, is a plane, the surface at the bottom of the inclined wall lbeing curved to form an arch. i

The oil inlet pipe 10 penetrates the producer Walls near the top of the inclined wall 1 and is directed downwardly against the surface of the inclined wall 1. There may be anumber of these pipes 10 instead of one as shown, in order to obtain better distribution of the oil over the inclined Wall 1. The pipe 1'0 may also be furnished with a distributing nozzle, thus producing the same effect produced by the use of a plurality of pipes as above described. The chamber 7 which communicates directly with the chamber 2, has a diaphragm 21 adapted to be distort-ed by the absenceor reduction of pressure withinthe chamber 7. The valve rod 20, which connects the valve 19 in the pipe 10 with the diaphragm 21, is either raised or lowered by the distortion of the diaphragm 21, thereby either closing or opening the valve 19. The valve .19 may be of any desirable type, a butterfly valve 19 being shown in the drawing, see Fig. l.

Theoutlet pipe 6 directly connects the chamber 2. with the gas utilizing apparatus, not shown, which may be a gas engine or other suitable apparatus adapted to utilize a continuous supply of gas. Poke holes 12 are for-med in the shell 11 near the inclined wall 1, and serve as a means for inspection of the surface of the inclined wall 1, these holes also-serving as observation apertures, see Figs. 1 and 2. k

The inclined wall ids lined with a suitable ncn-combustible and non-metallic matcrial and extends 'downwardly and inwardly from a point opposite the central portion of the inclined wall 1 and adjacent the shell 11 to within a short distance from the bottom of the shell 11. The chamber 5 is formed below the arch Slif2lC of the inclined Wall 1 and between the inclined Wall 4 and shell 11. This chamber 5 communicates with the chamber 2 through the restricted passage 3 formed between the two inclined walls 1, 4.. The surface of the inclined Wall 4 which is exposed to the chambers 2-, 5, is a plane, the lower end of the inclined wall 4 being curved to form an arch.

A checker-work 16 of brick or other material forming a grate or hearth, is constructed near the lower end of the inclined wall 4, and has a plurality of ports or passages therethrou'gh which connect the chamber below the inclined Wall 4 and adjacent the water seal 15, with the chamber 5. A cleaning hole13 is provided just above the checker-work 16 and serves as a means for removing incombustible residue which may be precipitated upon the surface of the hearth or chcckerlwork 16. Poke holes 12 are also provided and serve as means for inspecting the chamber 5. The air inlet 14, having the controlling valve 17 therein, enters the chamber below the inclined Wall 4 and above the Water seal 15, being directed toward the vertical Wall of the hearth or brick checker-work 16.

, In placing the producer into operation, a small amount of highly combustible material, such as a piece of Waste saturated with oil, is placed upon the upper surface of the hearth or brick checker-work 16 where it is ignited. The valve 17 in the air supply pipe 14 is then opened and air is admitted into the combustion chambero through the ports formed in the checker-Work 16, causing the flame of the burning waste. to rise into the gasifying chamber 2. Oil or other liquid hydrocarbon is then permitted to enter the -chamber 2 through the pipe 10, being precipita'ted upon the inclined wall 1 and there ignited by the flame from the burning waste. Due to admission of a very large quantity of air into the producer during starting, the first liquid hydrocarbon or oil admitted is completely consumed, thus generating an in tense heat. The heat generated is utilized in bringing the surfaces of the inclined Walls 1, 4, up to incandescence or gasifying tem- 'perature, thus establishing a heat zone with.-

in the producer. W hen the temperature of the lower portion of inclined Wall 4 has reached that of incandcscpnce or gasifica tion, the producer'is ready for continuous operation and the air supply admitted through the inlet pipe 14 is reduced sothat only a portion of the oil is consumed, the quantity of air admitted depending upon the quality of gas desired. The oil admitted through the pipe 10, in passing over the highly heated plate or inclined Wall 1, has

its volatile matter distilled during its downward passage, the various fractions thereof being broken up at their appropriate teii'v poratures. The residual. of solids or semir solids other than volatile matter, continues to pass down over the inclined Wall 1 and from there onto the inclined'wall 4, until it is finally completely consumed in the mingle or mix with the etliuent gases inci-' dent upon the preliminary distillation. The mixture is Withdrawn from the outlet 6 after a short period of fixing in the upper end of the shell 11 to be utilized as desired. The

withdrawal of the fixed gas from the gasifying chamber 2 may be accomplished directly by the suction of a gas engine, by'a am or exhauster, or any other suitable means of producing a suction or reduction of pressure in the outlet 6. Theamount of air induced; through the producer is proportionate with, the gas or fuel demand by the engine, fan or exhauster, or, with the pressure of the gas in the outlet 6, and may be regulatedautd matically by the flow of gas in the-outlet 6 acting on the inlet valve 1-7.

The regulation of thesupplyof liquid hydrocarbon or oil through the pipe 10 is effected by the diaphragm 21, valve rod 20 and valve 19. The suction or reduction of pressure in the outlet 6 acts through thechambers 2, 7, onto the diaphragm 21 cans ing said diaphragm to be distorted and lower the rod 20 or open the valve 19. This opening of the valve 19 increases the supply of liquid hydrocarbon fuel proportionately to the demand for gas or to the reduction of pressure in the outlet 6. It Will therefore be seen that the elements-heat, oil and air, 'the former being the result of the cornbustion of the oil in the presence of air, are approximately roportional and coordinate in their regulation, their admission being dependent upon and synchronizing with the demand upon the producer by the engine, fan or eshauster, or with th'e'riiuction of pressure in the outlet 6.

By using the brick hearth or checker-work 16, two results are accomplished; first, the air entering the chamber 5 is prevented from columniug, being broken up into a spray as it emerges .firom the hearth; and second, the entering airis preheated in passing between the hot briclgfi of the GhCQkQI'1WOIk 16, being admitted to t high temperature. The bricks of the checkerwork 16 are heated by the combustion of the 1e chamber 5 at a reasonably solid matter above them and also by refraction of the heat resulting from said combustion, from the lower arch surface of the inclined wall 1 and from the side of the shell.

The water seal 15 at the bottom of the producer serves the purpose of preventing injury to the shell 11 in event of back-firing in the producer. This water seal may also enrich the finally resulting gas produced by adding thereto a slight amount of hydrogen which is evaporated and rises to the gasifying chamber 2 in the form of steam.

The use of brick or similar non-metallic substance for lining the surface of the in clined walls 1, 4, and the shell 11, prevents so-called over-cracking, crocking, drying, or (Wer-burning of the oil well as preventing shock, crystallization and precipitation of the carbon element through over-rapidity or suddcnness in the disbursement of the hydrogen element. If metal distilling inclined walls 1, 4, were used, the disbursement'of the hydrogen elements would be quickened, due/ to the refracting and heat reflecting powers of the metallic substances and the increased co-eflicience of heat transference between' metallic substances and oils or vapors in excess of that afforded by non-metallic materials, such as brick or stone.

The use of a long cylindrical shell 11 with inclined walls 1, 4, arranged therein as shown and described, causes the hydrocarbon eon tained in the fuel to be broken up and fixed by direct contact and by radiation, the length of shell 11 and resulting distance traveled by the gases before leaving same. giving ample opportunity for complete fixing of the gas before leaving the producer. The revcrberatory effect within the producer tends to conserve the heat within the shell 11 to reduce radiation to adjacent elements. and to permanently fix the hydrocarbons of the gas within the producer. The plurality of plates or inclined walls 1, 4, are not in-- tended to serve as distributing plates or baffles for the liquid hydrocarbon fuel, these inclined walls 1, 4, serving as distilling plates or heat retainers, as heretofore explained. The inclined walls 1, 4, fractionally distil or crack the oil at certain critical temperatures, each fraction of the oil being cracked or distilled at an appropriate temperature, thus preventing overcraoking, burning or precipitation of the hydrocarbon matter through an excess of heat and producing more delicate hydrocarbon combinations or gases.

It should be understood that it is not desired to be limited to the exact details of construction shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

It is claimed and desired to secure by Letters Patent,

1. In a gas producer, an elongated shell, a. .plurality of inclined vaporizing walls within said shell, a liquid fuel inlet above one of said inclined walls, an air inlet below another of said inclined walls, said inlets being adapted to feed fuel and air respectively continuously toward the interior of said shell and said inclined walls gravitating material from the one to the other, a gas outlet adjacent said fuel inlet. and pressure actuated means for controlling the fuel to assist in maintaining 'n'oportionality between the amounts of fuel and air admitted through said inlets.

In a gas producer, a shell, a. plurality of vertically spaced vaporizing wallswithin and inclined relatively to said shell, a liquid fuel inlet adjacent the upper end of one of said walls, said inlet constituting the sole ingress for fuel to said shell, an air inlet below the lower of said walls, positive means for preventing columning of the air admitted, and a gas outlet at the upper end of said shell.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

NISBl l'l LATTA.

Witnesses H. C. CASE, 1V. H. LIEBER. 

